Selig ist der Mann (Blessed is the man), BWV 57, is a
church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He wrote the
Christmas cantata in Leipzig in 1725 for the Second Day
of Christmas, which was celebrated that year as St.
Stephen's Day, and first performed it on 26 December
1725.
Bach wrote the cantata in his third year in Leipzig for
the Second Day of Christmas. That year, as every other
year in Leipzig, the day was the feast of the martyr
St. Stephanus (Stephen). The prescribed readings for...(+)
Selig ist der Mann (Blessed is the man), BWV 57, is a
church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He wrote the
Christmas cantata in Leipzig in 1725 for the Second Day
of Christmas, which was celebrated that year as St.
Stephen's Day, and first performed it on 26 December
1725.
Bach wrote the cantata in his third year in Leipzig for
the Second Day of Christmas. That year, as every other
year in Leipzig, the day was the feast of the martyr
St. Stephanus (Stephen). The prescribed readings for
the day are from the Acts, the Martyrdom of Stephen
(Acts 6:8–7,22, Acts 7:51–59), and from the Gospel
of Matthew, Jerusalem killing her prophets (Matthew
23:35–39). The cantata text was written by Georg
Christian Lehms, who drew on all the readings and
connected them to more biblical allusions. The first
line is taken from James 1:12, the crown mentioned is
in Greek "stephanos". Lehms set the development as a
dialogue of "Jesus" and the Soul ("Anima"). He intended
to use as a closing chorale a verse from Johann
Heermann's "Gott Lob, die Stund ist kommen", but Bach
instead chose the 6th verse of Ahasverus Fritsch's
"Hast du denn, Jesus, dein Angesicht gänzlich
verborgen", called Seelengespräch mit Christus (Talk
of the soul with Christ), in order to continue the
dialogue.
The music for the dialogue of Jesus and the Soul is
more dramatic than in other church cantatas of Bach.
Most of the recitatives are secco, as in the opera of
the time, driving the action. John Eliot Gardiner sees
Bach here as the "best writer of dramatic declamation
(recitative in other words) since Monteverdi". The
first aria is dominated by long vocal phrases. In the
second aria the longing for death is expressed by an
upwards line followed by a wide interval down. The
third aria shows Jesus as the victor by fanfare-like
broken triads. In the last aria the line of the solo
violin can be interpreted as the passionate movement of
the Anima into the arms of Jesus. After a mystical
union is reached in the second part of the aria, "Mein
Heiland, ich sterbe mit höchster Begier" ("My Savior,
I die with the greatest eagerness"), no da capo is
possible; the aria ends on the question "was schenkest
du mir?" ("what will You give me?"), answered by the
final four-part chorale on the tune of "Lobe den
Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren".
Although originally written for soprano and bass
soloists, two oboes, oboe da caccia, two violins,
viola, and continuo, I created this arrangement for
Flute & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
SHEET MUSIC